A Whole Galaxy of Superheroes

Sometimes inspiration comes from where you least expect it, which is what happened to me this afternoon. I read this blog post, about an old NFL magazine that did a crossover with Marvel comics. I've been asked to give a bit of a Galaxy roster primer before, and these seemed to be the way to do it. The way Sports Illustrated for Kids would. Without any further ado, I present the Galaxy starter-Marvel Avengers crossover project spectacular!

With all apologies to Stan Lee: 

Fasten your safety belt, frantic one, 'cause here they come! They're the superheroes' superheroes - strong, smart, savage, and swift. 

You know their names. Donovan, Beckham, Keane and Juninho. Magee, Berhalter, Hejduk, Dunivant, Franklin  and Gonzalez. Call 'em the Galaxy....Los Angeles' dazzling defenders, midfielders and strikers. Magnificent marauders who battle against incredible odds every match of the season.

Now know them through another lens, through the world of fantasy. Let's get to know these real life super stars with their super hero counterparts from the pandemonious, power packed world of Marvel Comics.

Captain America Britain/David Beckham - Both the Cap and Beckham are the oldest on their respective teams, but they both still kick a lot of butt. I don't know but about the UK version, but with a career that spans almost two decades, Beckham remains a star despite being in a brand new era (and a new country). He's given back the captains armband, but he's still the cornerstone of the Galaxy attack. 

Wolverine/Landon Donovan - Wolverine rose to fame after the Silver age of Marvel comics, but so did Landon Donovan. Both creatures of small stature but intense fight, it's never a good idea to anger either of them. Wolverine is certainly the most popular Avenger, and Landon enjoys a certain celebrity in American soccer. He's graced the American cover of FIFA two years in a row! 

Silver Surfer/Robbie Keane - The Silver Surfer is an alien, exiled on earth, who spends his time trying to make sense of our culture. Makes sense for the Galaxy's newest Galaxy international. In LA for the first time in his life, after a long soccer career in the UK and Ireland, Robbie has to learn our ways but hopefully will tear things up in the meantime. 

Doctor Doom/Mike Magee - Well this one's just obvious. Every once in a while, someone makes the scene that is so powerful, they can do almost anything. Score from outside the box against Man City? No problem. Play goal for 47 minutes as the emergency keeper? Sure. Score the door closer Saturday, rubbing your legend in the face of San Jose? Not a problem. Dr. Doom is dead set on conquering the world. Magee already did it (on twitter).

Black Panther/Juninho - I'll be honest, I know next to nothing about the Black Panther. But Stan Lee said he had " "super speed, pulsating power, awesome agility and dauntless dedication". That sounds like Juninho. The guy that just plays soccer well. He's not the flashiest, or the one you always go home talking about, but he makes his presence felt on the pitch through his consistent solid play.

Spiderman/Sean Franklin -  Franklin doesn't look that imposing. But since he's moved up to midfield, he's been carving up defenses. He gets in over his head, but he always seems able to web out of a situation. Plus once he's on marking duty, he sticks to his man like glue. Clearly his hair is the result of being bitten by a radioactive spider.

The Hulk/Omar Gonzalez - Omar's not the fastest guy, but he keeps his back line together with intelligent play. Get him on a corner kick, and he'll grow three times his size and jump tall buildings to put the ball in the back of the net. And you wouldn't like him when he's angry, he'll wear a scary ghost mask and chase you around.

The Thing/Gregg Berhalter - I know two things about Gregg Berhalter. He's the nicest guy you'll ever meet. And he's a wall in the back. Seems to line up perfectly with The Thing, who while good natured, will clobber you with giant orange rock fists.  

Thor/Frankie Hejduk - This is based almost solely on hair. Both Hejduk and Thor have some pretty sweet locks of hair. With both of them, you'd be amiss to take them lightly. Thor has that crazy hammer, and Hejduk will cut in front of you, butt check you, and leave you on the ground. 

Iron Man/Todd Dunivant - Tony Stark had to build a energy magnet thing to keep his heart working after a terrible accident, but now he's got a suit of armor that makes him almost invincible. Iron Man has long been cultural slang for someone who just won't quit, and that's Dunivant. He's the Galaxy leader in minutes played with 2340 this season.